Like You
by SleeplessAnon
Summary: Gran Pulse is taken over by the Cocoonian Empire, and Fang is trying to get used to it. First fanfic, so please give me some tips and ideas for how to improve. (There'll probably be FLight in this, just a warning.)
1. Entering Eden

_You eat, you sleep_

_You drag your feet_

_Get out of bed and earn your keep_

_Then rinse, repeat, and take your seat_

_Just let them think they've won_

_Now the road ahead is steep_

_And yet I feel the urge to run_

_So go ahead and leave_

_I know you hate that I've become_

_Like you..._

_(Fox Stevenson - Like You)_

_**Part I: Becoming**_

_Chapter 1: Entering Eden_

Fang isn't sure when the change happened.

Not that she's ever really sure of anything anymore. It's been weeks and weeks of hiding in this damn hellhole as Cocoon troops trample over the land she calls home.

Gran Pulse had been a force to reckon with at the start of the war until the head general, who had lead the clans to what seemed like a brilliant victory, had fallen in battle. From there, things just fell apart. The once united clans turned on each other, each vying to place their own general in power, and Cocoon had leapt on the chance, knocking the clans down one by one in devastating defeats. The only remaining clan now is Oerba, and it barely clings to the edge of destruction. More than that, the other defeated clans of Gran Pulse have defected to the enemy's side, leaving Oerba to stand completely and utterly alone. Surrender is on the horizon, the only things between it and Oerba are stubborn pride and desperate hope.

No matter how little Fang wants to admit it, there really is no point in continuing this fight.

Except, maybe there is.

It's so subtle that even Fang doesn't notice it at first. The skirmishes on Oerba's borders, which had been increasing in intensity over the last few months, have forced Fang into hiding since she became a recognizable target on the battlefield. But as of the last two weeks, the number of troops flooding into the outskirts of Oerba has begun to decline. The steady rumble of footsteps and clinking of steel armor plates overhead that Fang has been listening to from her underground hideout has decreased in volume. She emerges with a small group of warriors to flank the Cocoonians whenever a battle breaks out, and they begin to pull out their first victories in nearly two weeks.

And then, suddenly, the change isn't so subtle. The Cocoon army begins falling back despite having the obvious advantage, leaving the Oerbans puzzled. The number of enemy soldiers dwindles until the Cocoonians are the ones outnumbered on the battlefield. And the soldiers are tired, worn down from constant ambushes from the Oerbans, unable to keep up with the pace of battle. Fang has never felt so alive, tearing across the battlefield with unrivaled speed and power. Oerba has returned to its former glory, seemingly indomitable once again.

But honestly, there is no reason that Cocoon should be faltering now, especially having just been on the brink of victory. It leaves Fang slightly bewildered, but she does the only thing she can think to do: she capitalizes. Winning battle after battle, she leads her warriors across fields of blood, bringing the Cocoon army to its knees.

In hindsight, the reason for Cocoon's fallback should have been obvious.

* * *

Fang berates herself for not seeing it, even five months later.

Cocoon had been playing the Oerban forces all along: Pulling back, pretending to lose hope, drawing Fang and her warriors further and further out of their own territory, right into a trap that should have been obvious. The Cocoon Imperial Army, the king's personal army of trained soldiers, surrounded and collapsed onto Fang's comparatively small force, and four hundred of Fang's soldiers were captured and held as prisoners of war as Fang was forced to retreat. Oerba surrendered that same day, refusing to lose any more lives.

Now Fang is stuck in Eden City, at the mercy of the Vipers.

Cocoon had been surprisingly merciful when it came to Oerba's surrender, but they had determined Fang to be too big a threat to their empire, and forced Fang to live in the capital in exchange for Oerba's autonomy. Fang had been indignant at first, but wanting freedom for her people, she begrudgingly left her home, her younger sister Vanille tagging along, not wanting to leave Fang by herself.

Gazing at the towering castle ahead of her, Fang lets out a resigned sigh. Vanille glances over at her, then lets out a sigh of her own.

"Fang, I know what you're thinking, and I've told you a thousand times now. None of this is your fault. It was all bound to happen."

As much as Vanille is trying to console her, the words only make Fang feel worse. But she gives a small grunt and urges her horse forward, fumbling with the reins and cursing under her breath. She's still not familiar with these damn abominations of animals that Cocoon seems to insist on calling transportation.

They arrive at the gates to the Inner City, and the guards stop them, eying the visitors suspiciously. They take an extra minute to review the their papers before allowing the two Pulsians to pass through. Another guard waiting on the other side greets them.

"Welcome, Oerba Yun Fang, Oerba Dia Vanille. I am here to escort you to your new home."

Fang is tense now, and she can feel Vanille casting a nervous glance in her direction.

_Control yourself_, she reminds herself. _No matter what they try and do, this _will_ be temporary._

"Thank you," she says, forcing a polite smile on her face. It must look pretty grotesque, because the guard only grimaces back at her. Vanille giggles a bit despite herself, and the guard's grimace turns into a slight grin. Turning, she gestures for the two Pulsians to follow.

"I'll admit," the guard says, "I was worried how you two would act, coming into a brand new country and all, but you seem to have the casual interactions of Cocoon already down."

"Are people all as awkward as Fang here?" snickers Vanille, and Fang feels a bit of anger flare up in her. These people are the _enemy_, and Vanille seems perfectly happy to instantly buddy up with them.

The guard snorts in response, leading them up a road bustling with vendors and people. "Only the important ones. Miss Yun will certainly fit right in."

Fang grips the reins tighter and grits her teeth. _Are you mockin' me?_

They leave the busy street, and after a few minutes, find themselves at the castle's main doors.

"Wait, are we staying in the castle?" Vanille is gaping up at the incredible building.

"Well, they want me to tell you that your comfort is of great importance to us, but for the sake of transparency, I'll go ahead and tell you that it's much easier to keep tabs on you this way." A young man standing at the doors begins making his way toward them. "Well," the guard grunts, dismounting her horse, "it's been nice meeting the two of you. If you ever want to meet up for drinks or anything, go to the tavern. The owner, Lebreau is always open to some new faces, and most of the guards go there at least one night a week." Waving her hand, the guard tugs her helmet off her head, tucking it under her arm, and leads her horse through the doors, into the castle.

"She seems nice," ventures Vanille, glancing pointedly at Fang, who in turn pointedly ignores her.

Fang and Vanille dismount their horses too as the young man draws closer.

"Greetings, Oerba Yun Fang, Oerba Dia Vanille," he says, dipping into a stiff bow. "I am Hope Esthiem, son of Lord Bartholomew. I will be taking you to your new quarters." Despite his formal and obviously practiced speech, the man's voice wobbles a bit, and Fang realizes he is barely more than a boy. She holds back a glare. _Tryin' to ridicule me, those damn vipers. Sending a kid to pick us up? They're not even concerned about us._

More guards - _How many of them are there in this damn place?_ \- arrive and lead their horses to the stables, and the sisters follow Hope to a small cottage a short walk away from them.

Hope turns around. "As new citizens of the Cocoonian Empire, you will be assigned jobs while you live here. Miss Yun here is to be assigned as a bodyguard for one of our officials, and Miss Dia will be sent to work in our newly constructed laboratory."

Vanille's face lights up at the same time Fang's darkens. "You're really trustin' us with those kinds of jobs? Not worried we might take the chance to take you out?"

Hope's face pales a bit, and he turns away. "Not...not in the least," he mumbles. "Please get some rest. You begin work tomorrow."

Fang's grin of satisfaction is short-lived, however, when she turns to Vanille, who is glaring at her. "What?"

"Don't 'what' me, Fang! Are you trying to get us in trouble before we even spend an hour in here?"

"...Maybe."

"Fang!"

"Why're you so eager to spend time here anyway?"

"A laboratory, Fang! I can get the proper supplies and equipment for my experiments!"

"You really think they're gonna let you near anything important in there?"

Fang almost feels bad for raining on Vanille's parade, especially when the younger girl's face falls so dramatically, but she's still too angry and bitter to apologize, and she just sighs, shifting the bag on her back, and trudges into the house. It's empty, save for some simple wood furniture and a biting sense of defeat comes over Fang.

_How long are they plannin' to keep us in here?_


	2. New Faces

_Chapter 2: New Faces_

"Miss Yun -"

"Don't call me that."

"Then, Lady Yun -"

"That's even worse."

"Then - um -"

"Just call me Fang," she snaps finally, "I don't need your silly titles."

"T-then, um … Fang, a-allow me to introduce you to your charge. General Farron, can you please come in here?" he calls out the door. Hope seems pretty desperate to just get out. He hastily bows to the general and says something to Fang before running for the door, but she's not listening anymore.

Staring at the pink-haired woman in front of her, Fang begins sizing her up. She has a powerful posture, shoulders set back and chin raised, yet doesn't seem arrogant. Rather than the extravagant Imperial Army uniform, she dons a simpler, cleaner outfit: A dark tunic with a white and gold collar and a red and white cloak draped over her shoulders, with the Cocoonian letters "G" and "C" emblazoned across the back. A fierce blue gaze meets hers, and Fang is floored.

She coughs, struggling to cover up her astonishment. Meeting the woman's gaze again, she tries to play it off by muttering, "So the mighty generals of Cocoon need bodyguards, do they?"

The blue eyes narrow, lips harden into a thin line. "Not at all," she replies in a low voice, one that indicates Fang is in a dangerous position. "They just needed something for you to do. Consider yourself a formality, so to speak."

Fang bristles at this, but takes a deep breath. _Polite, you've gotta be polite. For Vanille._

_Ah, fuck it._

"So," Fang replies in a measured voice, "you shouldn't have any trouble defendin' yourself from -"

Before she can even draw the sword that was given to her for protecting the very woman she is raising it against, the general has her own blade at Fang's neck. She hadn't even seen the woman draw her sword. The icy cold gaze keeps her frozen, staring dumbly with her hand still on the hilt of her sword, even as General Farron sheaths her own.

But then the general's face softens ever so slightly, and a grim smile crosses her features. "I'm giving you a warning right now, Oerba Yun Fang. I don't blame your hostility. I would feel the same if our positions were reversed. But," her smile fades and the room's temperature drops a few degrees, "I have full authority to end your life if I think it necessary. Keep that in mind."

Fang swallows visibly, and curses herself for it. _I'm not afraid, dammit. _Dropping her hand to her side, she stares at the woman before her, now leaning forward, towards Fang's ear. "Don't ever forget," the general whispers in her ear, sending shivers down Fang's spine, "that they picked me specifically because they knew I could take you down."

Fang is utterly flabbergasted, torn somewhere between outrage and admiration.

"That being said," Farron sighs, breezing past the frozen Fang, "I'm told you're far more impressive with a lance. Let's see if we can get something a little more comfortable for you. After all, I need a bodyguard that can keep up with me."

* * *

Flopping down on the bed, Fang blows out a heavy sigh, feeling more worn out than she's been since the final days of the war. As it turns out, the general's job is far more diplomatic than anything else, so Fang had spent most of the day listening to politicians blather on and on about funding for a new organization called the Guardian Corps. Even as the general nodded along to their droning, it was fairly obvious that she wanted to be there just as little as Fang did.

They are alike, Fang realizes, more alike than she's comfortable with.

Vanille trots in, eyes bright, with a silly grin plastered on her face. "Fang! You're home. Had a long day?" Fang doesn't miss Vanille's use of the word "home", and she frowns a bit at it.

"Yeah."

"You seem tired. Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I need a drink."

Vanille seems even more excited by this. "Let's go to the tavern then! The people in the lab want me to meet up with them anyway."

"Oh. Uh, okay." Fang isn't sure how she feels about the fact that Vanille already feels comfortable and is making friends. "Temporary" has been the mantra in her head getting her through her entire day. But she still feels guilty about her harsh words yesterday, so she doesn't make any comment on it, and instead asks Vanille how her day went.

The moment the redhead begins spewing an endless stream of words, gushing over the equipment and materials now accessible to her (and the chaos she's already caused with her explosive experiments), Fang begins to zone out, thinking back on her own day. Or, more specifically, on a certain person. A half smile turns up the corner of her mouth, one that Vanille doesn't miss.

"What're you grinning about?"

"Um. N-nothing. You just seem to be having a lot of fun, is all. I'm happy for you." It wasn't a lie, not fully, anyway. She _was_ happy for Vanille. Just more in the "I'm-happy-if-you're-happy-I-guess-but-not-really" way.

Vanille doesn't seem entirely convinced, but she drops it, saying instead, "Let's get going!" bouncing excitedly on her toes.

The two of them exit the cottage, and Hope is standing outside waiting for them. He grins and waves at Vanille, but immediately freezes when he sees Fang.

"U-um," he stammers, looking down.

Fang sighs, feeling a little bad about how she treated him. "Relax, kid. We got off on the wrong foot, and I'm sorry 'bout that. Let's start over." She holds out a hand to him. "Nice t'meet ya. I'm Fang."

Hope stares at the outstretched hand briefly, then his face lights up in a nervous but excited grin. Grasping her hand and shaking it wildly, he says, "I'm Hope! Let's get along."

Fang is reminded a bit of Vanille's childish enthusiasm, and she finds the boy growing on her, just a little bit. He grins to Vanille, and they high five. Hope turns away and blushes.

Maybe less than a little bit, then.

* * *

The tavern is huge, almost as big as the feast halls back in Oerba. It's jam-packed with soldiers, merchants and travelers, all of them cheerfully toasting and joking around. The sound is almost overwhelming.

Hope grins at Fang and Vanille's amazement. "Eden City is the center of the Cocoonian Empire, so merchants from all corners of the empire usually gather here every month, not to mention the fact that the Autumn Festival is coming up. Traders from outside the empire come in all the time as well. Pretty incredible, isn't it?"

Vanille breathes an agreement, utterly dazzled by the conviviality of it all. She catches sight of her coworkers, babbles some nonsense to Fang about meeting up later, and dashes off, waving to them over the crowd.

Hope glances over at Fang. "I'll take you to meet Lebreau. She said she wanted to meet you."

"Me?"

"Yeah, one of the guards was talking about the two of you. She seemed pretty interested."

They make their way through packed tables to the bar, where a young woman is cheerfully attending customers. Her outfit is nothing short of flashy: there is more skin exposed on her than Fang's seen on all of the damn prudes that live in the castle. Well, not that the general's outfit doesn't suit her, not with the speed she moves around in it, or the way it shows off her slender figure and-

_Okay, stop right there._

The woman's brown eyes meet Fang's, and they light up in a quick grin. "You must be Oerba Yun Fang!" she calls over the din.

"Just Fang is fine," Fang replies, holding a hand out. Lebreau shakes it vigorously.

"Aren't there supposed to be two of you?"

"Vanille ran off somewhere," Fang shrugged.

Lebreau looks a bit disappointed for a moment, but quickly recovers and changes the topic. "How are you liking Eden City, then?"

Fang isn't sure whether to be polite or honest. She pauses, then says, "I dunno. Seems okay."

Lebreau just grins, pushing a mug of beer across the bar to her. "Give it a few weeks. You'll be singing a different tune by then. They all do."

"Do they?" Fang picks up the mug and takes a gulp. Not nearly as strong as she's used to, but it'll do.

"They do indeed." Lebreau raises a glass of her own with a grin. "Welcome to Eden, Fang."

Fang sighs and clinks their mugs together. "Whatever you say."

A small group of young men make their way to the bar, the tallest of whom towers over almost everyone in the tavern, with a black bandanna tied over scruffy blonde hair, blue eyes twinkling with mischief. A young, slim blue-haired boy stumbles drunkenly with an arm slung over the shoulder of a darker-skinned man with a head of fiery hair, both of them sporting sloshing beer mugs and crazy grins. A smaller, spiky blonde haired boy trails behind them, curious blue eyes meeting Fang's before darting away nervously.

"And the rest of Team NORA decides to make an appearance," laughs Lebreau.

"NORA?" Fang glances questioningly between Hope and Lebreau.

Hope just shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "It's some silly vigilante group Snow runs. They keep crime down in small towns, where there aren't as many police. They usually stay in Bodhum, but they're here in Eden for the Autumn Festival."

"Did I just hear you call us 'silly'?" a booming voice demands, as the tall, bulky man wanders over to them, grinning despite the seemingly stern tone of his voice. He turns to Fang, cocking an eyebrow at her. "Haven't seen you here before."

"This is Fang," Lebreau interjects as she slides another mug of beer down the bar. "She's from Pulse."

"_Gran_ Pulse."

"Well, nice to meet you, Fang from _Gran_ Pulse," the tall man beams a positively radiant smile at her. "I'm Snow," he says, holding out a hand for her to shake. She grasps it politely, and Snow turns to introduce the rest of his gang. "That's Yuj," he informs her, pointing to the blue-haired boy, who waves before returning to flirting with a waitress, despite the towel thrown at him by Lebreau. "That's Gadot," he gestures at the fiery haired man, who is too busy chugging his beer to notice. "And that little fella is Maqui," he points to the last boy, who gives a shy wave before running to join the other two.

He laughs and claps Fang over the shoulder. "So, Fang from _Gran_ Pulse, what brings you to Eden City?"

Fang glances down into her beer mug, which is half empty now. Throwing back the remaining half, she gestures for Lebreau to give her a refill. She's gonna need to be a lot more drunk for this one.

* * *

Dropping an unconscious Vanille unceremoniously onto her bed, Fang drags herself across the small hallway to climb into her own bed.

_This is _not _going to feel good in the morning_.

Deciding she doesn't really care, Fang curls up on her side, trying to remember exactly what she had said. Snow had been amazed that she was _the _Oerba Yun Fang, that she remembers. She had ranted for quite a bit, if her memory is serving her correctly. Past that, it had been just a lot of drinking and not really paying attention to anyone's reaction to her story.

She kind of wants to cry, but is too emotionally drained to even do that. Instead, she just quietly lets sleep overtake her, waiting for something to change in tomorrow.

* * *

A/N A second chapter in one day! Is it a little longer? I can't really tell. There might be some grammar mistakes in there, so sorry 'bout that. Thanks for the follows and reviews :) From here on out, the updates will probably be a bit slower, but here's to hoping I get enough free time to finish the third chapter by next weekend.

On another note, it's the first interaction between Fang and Lightning! Oh, the things I could do in the future...heh. Well, this time it's Fang who's squirming. We'll see how that goes later on, I s'pose.


	3. A Fresh Perspective

**Chapter 3: A Fresh Perspective**

Fang wakes the next morning with a painful roaring in her ears that is only amplified by the rumbling of the bed beneath her.

"Wake up, Oerba Yun Fang. You're late."

That voice...Fang groans, turning her head to bury her face in her pillow. "Who the hell let you in?" she grumbles, in too much pain to care for politeness.

"Your sister did, right before she left for work." Despite being face down on her bed, Fang can practically feel the disapproving glare of General Farron.

"Can't work today," Fang mumbles. "Got a hangover."

"You should have thought of that before drinking yourself silly last night. Your sister seems just fine, maybe you should learn a bit from her."

"'Nille drank more n' I did, she's just got some insane immunity to hangovers." Fang is starting to fall back asleep when Farron kicks the bed again.

"It's only your second day. Tough it out, you're going to need to do a lot more than getting wasted to earn a day off."

Fang grunts and pulls herself upright, grimacing at the effort. "Gimme a break," she sighs, glancing up at the imposing woman before immediately turning away. _Those damn blue eyes._

Farron just sighs and offers a hand to pull Fang out of the bed. Staring at the hand, Fang hesitantly reaches for it. The general pulls her forward, and she staggers out of the bed, struggling not to crouch down and curl up at the aching in her brain. She manages a weak grin, trying to play it off.

It lasts about two seconds before everything she ate last night comes right back up.

Right on to the general's boots.

Both of them stare incredulously at the grotesque sight for a good minute, neither of them too sure on how to react. Then, with a carefully controlled sigh, Farron takes a step back and quietly peels the boots off. She glances up at Fang, who suddenly feels sick all over again.

"Go back to sleep," she says steadily.

"Wha -"

"Just...just go back to sleep."

Fang glances down at herself, realizing she has gotten away completely unscathed, without a single drop of vomit on her. Stepping back quietly, she climbs back into the bed, tugs the sheets up, and closes her eyes. _That was all a bad dream, all a bad dream, I'll open my eyes and she won't be there, and I didn't throw up…_

As she repeats this to herself, over and over, she becomes aware of a clattering sound next to her. Opening her eyes, she almost wishes she hadn't. The general has shed her cape and coat, left only in her tunic and bare feet, and is proceeding to mop up the mess Fang made.

Jolting upright, she cries out. "You don't - you don't have to do that! I'll take care of it later."

"And let the stink soak into the floor? This isn't your permanent home, Yun, you need to keep it in good condition." The general sticks the mop back into the bucket and glares at her.

"Just get a servant to do it then!" _This is so fucking humiliating._

"All the servants are busy cleaning up from breakfast. It'll be faster this way. Just go back to sleep. I expect you to be back to work tomorrow. _On time_."

Fang gulps and lies back down, turning away from the general and pulling the sheets up once again.

But she doesn't fall asleep again until General Farron is long gone.

* * *

Lightning Farron is having a bad day.

Well, that isn't quite accurate. It's been more like a consecutive string of horrible days from the moment three months ago that Amodar had retired due to his illness and put her in charge of the Guardian Corps. It has certainly not been helpful that most of PSICOM had not even recognized the House of Farron as one of the noble houses at the time, and it has been even less helpful that she has been chosen to babysit some sore Pulsian warrior. An alcoholic one, at that.

Staring mournfully at her favorite pair of boots, Lightning blows out a sigh. She can't say she blames Oerba Yun Fang, but she does wish the woman would try to make her life just a little easier. She doesn't have any meetings to go to today, so it's not really a big deal, but still.

Her boots.

Serah, of course, is absolutely horrified when she sees them, but neither of them particularly want to take on the task of cleaning them, and Lightning is still honestly uncomfortable about asking servants to do work for her. As a child, the few house servants her parents had hired had been more like family to her, but here at the castle, it feels so detached.

So the two of them stare at the pair of boots until they can no longer bear to look at them, and Lightning sighs and returns to the heaps of paperwork that Amodar left her with. Serah starts nagging her, saying she should ask them to reassign the Oerban, but she's not really paying attention anymore. She's looking through the new Guardian Corps assignments to Pulse (_Gran _Pulse, Snow had insisted this morning when recounting last night's events to Serah, much to Lightning's irk). The primarch wants to establish a Guardian Corps police force in the clans, which, if Oerba Yun Fang is anything to go by, will not go over well.

She resolves to talk to Fang about it tomorrow. A fresh perspective will do the Corps well.

* * *

Fang wakes up feeling even worse than she did this morning, but this time it has nothing to do with her hangover. It's mid afternoon, and the castle is bustling and alive with activity. There's some kind of feast going on, presumably something to do with the Autumn Festival. Wandering the halls, she searches quietly for the general, unsure of what she's going to do or say when she finds her.

"Fang!" a familiar voice calls out from behind her as she reaches the main hall, which is practically overflowing with people.

Turning her head, she catches sight of the red haired head bobbing in the sea of people, jumping up and down and waving at her.

"What are you doing here, Fang? Aren't you s'posed to be bodyguarding someone?" Vanille glances around her, searching for Fang's charge. "Is it that guy?" she asks, pointing to a man nearby.

"No. It's...a long story." And not one Fang cares to recount at this point. "What are _you _doing out here? Shouldn't you be...experimenting?"

Vanille grins. "They're taking the day off to help with preparations for the Autumn Festival. I decided to take a look around. It's so _exciting_ here, Fang! It's almost like the Harvest back in Oerba!"

_The Harvest,_ Fang thinks, gritting her teeth. _We're missing the Harvest._

"Vanille!" comes a breathless voice over the crowd. "Where'd you go?"

"Over here, Hope!" she calls back, waving her hand.

"Fang?" Hope stares at her, confused. "Where's General Farron?"

"...I'll tell you later."

"Is she okay?" Hope looks concerned.

"Yeah, she just...ah, gave me some time off for the festival stuff. Like Vanille."

Vanille has a knowing look in her eyes, but thankfully decides not to comment. Her eyes, however send Fang the clear message that she will be telling this story later, a thought that Fang dreads.

Another man walks up to them. "Hope! Don't just run off like that."

"Sorry, sorry," Hope laughs sheepishly. "This is Vanille's sister, Oerba Yun Fang. Fang, this is the head scientist of the laboratory, Sazh Katzroy."

The tall, dark man grins at her, holding out a calloused hand to shake. She obliges. "Nice to meet you. You can just call me Fang."

"Likewise. How are you enjoying Eden so far?"

Thinking back to the morning's incidents, Fang just shrugs and looks down at her feet. "Still gettin' used to it, I guess."

Vanille doesn't miss that either, and she's giving Fang that _look_, but Fang pretends not to see. Sazh just laughs and says, "Give it time, it'll grow on ya. Vanille, they're calling for you back at the lab. Apparently your little 'experiment' got a bit out of hand."

"Oh, _crap_! Talk to you later, Fang!"

"Yeah, yeah, don't kill anyone." She turns back to Sazh as Vanille darts off, weaving through the crowd. "That's the second time I'm hearing that nonsense about giving it time. Don't s'pose there's some way to speed up the process?"

The man only chuckles and shakes his head. "By the way, who did you say she was assigned to guard?" he asks Hope.

"Li - General Farron."

"Ah, the dear general. No wonder you're having troubles. She's not a very flexible person to work with, I guess. But dealing with all those old farts all day, can't say I blame her. General Amodar just promoted her out of nowhere and ran off to retirement. The House of Farron finally have PSICOM approval, though, so that's something."

Fang tips her head. "PSICOM?"

"It's the alliance of the Six Grand Duchies of Cocoon: Pyrus, Sila, Indum, Calio, Ortha, and Matan. The former leader of the Guardian Corps, General Amodar, was the Duke of Sila, which was the most powerful Duchy of the six, but as of right now, there's a lot of tension among them, especially after he picked Farron. But it's pretty safe to say Farron's gotten respect out of all of them by now."

"How'd she swing that?"

"She challenged the Duchess of Calio, Jihl Nabaat, to a duel and won by a mile. At this point, Farron is just pushing her house to become the new head of Sila. That being said, since Sila refused to participate in the Pulse invasions -"

"_Gran _Pulse."

"Ah, _Gran_ Pulse invasions, PSICOM pretty much scorned Sila, so even that is putting the general at quite a disadvantage, especially at such a crucial time for the Guardian Corps."

"I've been hearing a lot about that. So it's pretty much like a police force, right?"

"More or less. It's like a more organized, formal version of Snow's little gang. What did he call it? NORA? I'm pretty sure those guys are in town for the Festival, right?"

"Sure are," Hope chirps, "We met them at the tavern last night."

"Really? I should head down there sometime. It's been a while since I've seen that old rogue. He still chasing after Serah?"

"As always," Hope laughs.

Fang would honestly prefer to hear more about the general, but decides against further inquiry when she catches sight of the woman herself, walking across the courtyard with a young boy in tow, straight in her direction. Fang freezes, not yet mentally prepared for a confrontation, and thankfully, Farron barely spares her a glance, only giving a stiff nod before stalking past. Sazh glances up from his conversation and catches sight of the boy.

"General," he bows slightly to the pink haired woman. Hope mirrors this action, but is gazing up at her admiringly. Fang finds herself frowning a bit at this.

Sazh reaches out and lifts the boy into his arms, and Fang is startled by the resemblance. "I take it my boy was causing a bit of trouble for you then?"

"No, I wasn't!" the boy protests, eyes wide.

"No trouble, Sazh, just wandering a bit further into the forest than I figured was safe."

"Thanks, as always, General. I hear you're taking a bit of time off as well?"

Farron frowns, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you gave Fang a little time to wander, so I figured…"

"Oh. Um. Well, I was just catching up on my paperwork. She was, ah, fidgeting a bit, so I sent her away." A quickly constructed lie, Fang notes, relieved that the general seems even less eager than her to relive the morning's incident.

Sazh smiles. "Well, don't overwork yourself. Since you're here already, you should take some time and head to town. There's already a bunch of festivities going on. Work can wait until after the Autumn Festival, no? I'm sure Serah is dying to spend a little more time with you. She's always complaining that you're neglecting her."

"Serah…" For a moment, General Farron's eyes soften and the tiniest of smiles tugs at her lips, and Fang has to look away to hide the slight blush creeping up her cheeks. A little spark of jealousy ignites her stomach at whoever this "Serah" is.

"It's getting to the point where she's complaining you don't even care about her anymore," Sazh laughs, "although we all know she doesn't really believe that. I'm just saying, if you're not careful, she may very well end up running off with Snow."

"Snow?" Farron crinkles her nose in disgust, making Sazh laugh again.

"Well, you know what they say about all work and no play. Last I saw, Serah was in the east courtyard talking to Snow, so you'd better book it before he uses all his manly charms to seduce her."

The general practically takes off running, Sazh all-out laughing as Hope tries to cover up his own amusement by fake coughing, ending up choking on his own spit and actually exploding into a fit of coughs. Sazh thumps the boy's back heartily and wipes his eyes.

"Oh, man, that is priceless."

Fang is considerably less amused.

* * *

A/N A new chapter! I've been dying to get this one out, and'll probably have another by the end of the week. Some weird takes on PSICOM in this one, I guess. These early chapters are a lot of setting up the world I've created.

On another note, Lightning perspective! I don't want to do too much of her perspective at this point, since I feel like this story is really much more about Fang than her, but I do like to mix it up a bit. As the story progresses, there'll probably be a lot of of other character perspectives, but right now I'm focusing on Fang since her perspective is the most interesting, I feel, for how the story is going.

Anyhoo, this author's note is too long already, so I'll just stop here. Thanks for the follows and reviews. Look forward to the next chapter! :)


	4. Way Back When

_A/N Wow, this chapter is WAY overdue. A lot of personal things came up, but your patience shall be rewarded with a slightly longer chapter :D Thanks for all the support you guys have shown. It really keeps me motivated to keep writing._

**Chapter 4: Way Back When**

"It's not _that _funny, 'Nille."

Vanille doesn't stop laughing. "I beg to differ. You _hurled_ on the General's shoes?"

Fang groans inwardly. "I don't even know why I told ya this story." Well, she does, and the reason mainly has to do with the fact that she can never say no to her sister.

Vanille gets over her original fit of giggles only to reimagine the scenario and break down laughing all over again.

"Agh, shut up!"

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Vanille glances at Fang's reddening face and starts laughing again.

Desperate to change the subject, Fang grumbles, "What about you, then? What'd you do today?"

"I _didn't_ throw up on anyone's shoes," says Vanille, stifling more laughter.

"Hilarious."

"In all seriousness, something great happened to me today."

"Yeah?" _If she mentions throwing up again, I'll throw up on _her.

Vanille's eyes get dreamy. "A really, _really_ cute girl kissed me."

"_What." _Fang stands up. "_Who._"

Vanille seems oblivious to Fang's sudden protectiveness. "She was _so_ cute. So nice too. And she had the prettiest blue eyes…" Vanille trails off, lost in her own reverie.

The blue eyes comment catches Fang off guard for a second though, reminding her of another blue eyed woman. She shakes the thought out of her head and glares down at Vanille, who suddenly notices Fang bristling and holds her hands up.

"It was just on the cheek, Fang! I'm sure - I'm sure she didn't really mean anything romantic. I just - can't a girl dream a little?"

Fang sighs and sits down. "What was her name, then?" _So that I can pummel her if she hurts ya._

"Serah." Vanille lets out a sigh of her own.

Fang bolts back to her feet in an instant. "You - the General's lover _kissed_ you?"

"The General's _what_?"

Fang sighs and thumps back down into her seat. "You have the _worst _luck in love," she says, patting Vanille on the back.

* * *

Fang has been dreading this moment since she got up this morning. Standing before General Farron's office doors, she takes a deep breath, raising up her fist to knock -

The doors burst open without warning, sending Fang tumbling backwards, barely able to catch herself as an enraged woman storms from the office. _What an exit,_ Fang whistles inwardly to herself. Glancing inside, she sees the general, seated at her desk with the bridge of her nose pinched between her thumb and forefinger. Farron glances up at her and gives her a weary look, one that says, "_Get me the hell out of here"._

"The hell was _that?_" Fang questions, previous dread forgotten. "Lover's quarrel?" Had that been Serah?

"_That_," Farron sighs, "was Jihl Nabaat."

"Wow."

"Indeed." Farron gets up from her desk, grabbing Fang's arm as she walks past. "Come on," she says, "I need to blow off some steam."

Fang's pulse quickens as Farron tugs her along. "Blow off...steam?"

She is dragged down to the soldiers barracks, curious eyes following them as they enter, and Farron yanks a wooden practice spear off one of the racks, tossing it to Fang. Picking up a wooden sword for herself, she leads Fang down the halls until they reach an empty courtyard.

"Show me what you can do, then," Farron says, shifting her stance to face Fang. She tosses her cloak to the side and tightens the belt over her tunic.

Fang stares at the woman, then at the spear in her hands, turning it over and hefting it. It's not ideal, and it feels a bit unbalanced, but the opportunity to work some of the stress out of her muscles is enough to involuntarily put the warrior into a ready stance.

The moment she does, the general is moving forward, again with that incredible speed. Fang barely has time to lift her spear to block the quick strikes. The pink haired woman darts in and out, striking with deadly precision, eyes bright and sharp, enough to take Fang's breath away.

But she can't get distracted, or she'll be taken down in an instant. The other woman is faster, but not more powerful than Fang, so when she darts in again, Fang takes a swing with her spear, trying to throw off Farron's rhythm. She rolls to the side, easily dodging the attack, but when their eyes meet again, Fang catches the slightest glimmer of respect in those blue eyes. _She's the same as me_, Fang thinks. _She lives for this._

The rest becomes a flurry of movement: the brutal crunch of wood against wood as their weapons splinter with each clash, each duck, roll and swing fluid and flowing into the next. Fang is vaguely aware of the gathering crowd as people slip into the courtyard, their eyes wide and amazed. They've seen Farron fight before, but never with such intensity, never with someone who can fight on such equal ground. As for the Pulsian, she fights with a style most have never seen before. Wild and relentless, power behind each strike, and yet still graceful and controlled. It's different than the swordfighting they see in the Tournament every year, and it's captivating.

The two women break apart, a brief moment of rest as they face off. Sweat rolls down their foreheads and arms, breaths coming heavy and harsh, but their eyes have an incredible glint to them, and their thoughts are one.

_It's been a while since I felt so alive._

Then they're at each other again, striking harder, faster, and -

_Snap._

The general's wooden sword gives out first, the top half splintering away and flying past her face, and she leaps backward, narrowly dodging the tip of Fang's spear, which is on the brink of snapping as well.

Fang sighs and starts to lower her spear when a sharp pain in the back of her head jolts her forward into darkness.

* * *

_Crack._

The sound is really quite remarkable, Lightning notes as Fang falls forward, unconscious, each half of the ceramic pot falling on either side of her. She watches in an almost morbid fascination as the other woman's body thumps to the ground.

_"Claire!"_

The shriek breaks the stunned silence that has fallen over the courtyard as a streak of pink and red tears across the grass, hurtling straight for the general. Lightning catches the girl with an "_oomph_" as she thuds into her stomach.

"Serah! How - what did you...what the hell?" _That pot weighs half as much as her!_

"Claire!" Serah sobs. "I saw you fighting her - and then your sword broke and I didn't know what to do - why was she attacking you, Claire? I thought you said - you said she wouldn't be able to - _Etro, _Claire - "

"Serah," Lightning sighs, smoothing the younger girl's hair out. "Serah, just calm down." She's still reeling from the fact that her sister had thrown that giant pot across the courtyard. Serah isn't weak, but Lightning can't remember her ever being that _strong_. She stares at the broken remains on either side of Fang's head, wincing. At least there's no blood to be seen. _Talk about being hard-headed. She's going to feel that one in the morning._

The spectators take their chance to slip away as quietly as they had entered as Serah's sobs quiet.

"Serah, we were just sparring," Lightning explains gently. "I was feeling stressed out, what with Lady Nabaat stirring up trouble again. I asked her to spar with me."

"You could have just - " Serah sniffs and lets out a little hiccup. "You could have just come talk to me."

"I know, Serah. I know. I just needed something a little more...physical, you know? We'll talk all you want tonight, I promise. I'll finish up early and come home for dinner. Then we can go to the festival together."

Serah sniffles again. "Promise?"

"Promise. Now, let's get this woman to the infirmary. You really did a number on her, didn't you?"

Serah blushes. "I panicked, okay? I thought she was going to kill you. Last time that assassin - "

"Shh…It's okay now. She'll be okay. Probably. Just remind me never to scare you."

"You scare me all the time, Claire," Serah grumbles.

Lightning lifts the taller woman onto her back. "Oomph. She's heavier than she looks." The heat of the unconscious woman seems to be seeping through her clothes. Serah hadn't been this..._warm_ when they hugged, had she? And Serah's body certainly didn't feel like -

_Ugh. I must be going crazy._

* * *

For the second time in the same number of days, Fang wakes up with a killer headache.

_Why the fuck does this keep happening to me?_

She lets out a low string of curses as she clutches her head. "Did a fuckin' stampede of Behemoths run me over or something?" she mutters to herself, trying to get a grip on her surroundings.

"Close enough," comes a soft reply. Whirling her head, Fang catches sight of the General sitting at her bedside, a tiny smirk on her face.

"The hell happened?" Fang narrows her eyes. "Did you have someone attack me - "

She's cut off by the ice in Farron's eyes. "We just spent the better part of an hour sparring. I would hope you would understand enough about me to know I would never employ such underhanded tactics, nor do I have any reason to."

"R - right."

The general sighs. "Serah saw us fighting and thought you were trying to kill me," she explains. "She may or may not have thrown a large pot at your head."

Fang blinks. It's not the explanation she was expecting, and she's not entirely sure how to respond.

"Um." _Not the most intelligent thing I've ever said. _

"She wanted to stay to apologize herself, but your sister came up here and dragged her off to go to the festival," Farron says with a shrug.

"'Nille did?" _She probably doesn't know about the kiss, then. _

"Unless you have another sister."

Fang smirks. _Cheeky._ "I have about twenty."

Farron's eyes widen for a brief second. "Do you now?"

"Not by blood, of course. But we might as well be. How 'bout you? Any siblings?"

"Just one."

"Brother or sister?"

"Sister. Serah," she adds as an afterthought. "You know, the one who clubbed you over the head with a giant pot."

"She's your sister?" Inexplicable relief flows through Fang. Okay, maybe there is an explanation, but she'd really rather not think about that right now. Before Farron can reply, the door bursts open and Vanille and a pink haired girl that Fang can only assume is Serah tumble through it. The two are laughing and giggling. Vanille sees Fang sitting up and squeals, which doesn't really help the headache she's having.

"You're awake! We thought Serah had killed you!"

"Hey!" the younger Farron blushes and whacks Vanille on the arm. "I'm not a brute like Snow."

"But you did break a pot over my head," Fang says dryly, looking the girl over. She has the same pink hair and blue eyes as her sister, but she's smaller in stature and a lot more friendly-looking. She really doesn't seem to be capable of being the one responsible for the massive headache that Fang is experiencing, but hell, she's figured out by now that not all Cocoonians are what they seem. She can see why Vanille took a liking to her, though, she really is pretty cute, but not really Fang's type. Her type is a little more...her eyes shift to the older sibling.

"I'm really sorry about that," Serah says, wincing, sincerity in her eyes. Fang quickly redirects her attention, hoping no one noticed her brief distraction. "It's just - there've been a lot of threats on her life since the war, so I figured better safe than sorry."

"And 'safe' was…me being dead?"

Serah glances at her feet, shifting uncomfortably. "No offense, but...better you than her."

"Serah," the older Farron says, her tone chiding.

"No, I understand. If it had been between you and Vanille," Fang replies, "well, y'know." The two of them lock eyes, apparently bonding over their mutual protectiveness of their sisters.

"Well," the General says, breaking the silence, "if you're feeling well enough, Fang, how about you join us to go to the festival? We have the evening off. You can consider it part of Serah's apology for giving you possible brain damage."

Fang blinks in surprise, then rolls her neck a bit. Her headache has faded, so she says, "Sure, why not. You guys can show me what's so great about Cocoon that everyone says'll grow on me."

"Great!" Vanille says, laughing with excitement. "This is gonna be so awesome!"

"The real partying doesn't start till sundown, so get some sleep and we'll come by and pick you up as soon as the sun sets," Serah says, smiling. She reaches out and grabs Vanille's hand to tug her along. "C'mon. I have something to show you!"

As the two girls dart for the door, Vanille gives Fang a giant grin that can only be described as "shit-eating". Fang just smiles and rolls her eyes. _If she's happy, I guess I can deal with it. Even if it's a viper._

She glances over at the general, who is watching them with her usual cool demeanor. But if Fang isn't mistaken - and she really hopes she isn't - the woman seems just a tiny bit warmer than before. She sighs, feeling a little lighter than she has felt since coming to Eden.

_Maybe this place isn't so bad after all._

* * *

_Or maybe it is_.

Fang grunts under the weight of the heaps of food Vanille and Serah are piling on her tray. _How are they possibly going to eat all of this_? _Cocoonians are fucking insane._ Although she has to admit, it smells amazing.

A dozen differents kinds of meats, slow-roasted and marinated with herbs and spices emit almost sinfully wonderful smells, and a mouthwatering display of vegetables, grilled, baked, fried, you name it, is making Fang's head spin a little. And the _sweets_. Dear Etro, the _sweets_. Fang has always had a bit of a sweet tooth, but _damn_. Cocoonians are absolutely nuts - in all senses of the term. Candied nuts and fruits litter the tables, laid out almost more for decor than for eating, although it doesn't stop most from simply picking them up and eating them as they move down the long tables, gathering up food as if it's going to run away. (Not that the vipers would really know anything about that, with their spoiled lifestyles.) Pies of every imaginable flavor line the entirety of one of the tables, and cakes and pastries, impeccably and beautifully decorated with colorful frosting fill up another.

_Okay, so maybe it is _kinda _great. The Harvest is still better, though._

Finally, the two younger girls decide that there is enough food (to feed a dozen Behemoths for a year) and Fang staggers behind them back to the seat that the General is holding. Well, it's not so much a seat but a small open spot on the grass in the main courtyard. The space, Fang realizes as they draw closer, is now being occupied by a giant of a man - a blonde, loud, somewhat scruffy one with an entourage of NORA members. General Farron has a less than amused expression on her face, which Snow is entirely oblivious to.

"Oh look, there they are," she hears Farron say in a monotone, giving Snow a look that says, "_Now would be a great time to leave"._

Snow doesn't seem to get the not-so-subtle hint and turns to them, giving them a large grin and wave, although the rest of the NORA members seem to be inching away.

"Serah!" Snow calls out. She waves back a little hesitantly.

"Hi, Snow…" He grins and wraps her in a friendly hug, oblivious to the icy glare of General Farron and the slightly less intimidating one from Vanille. Serah wriggles out awkwardly.

"It's been a while, huh?" Snow laughs.

"It's been like…a day."

"Yeah, but we didn't get to talk much yesterday."

"I guess not…"

Before the awkward silence can stretch out any further, a voice calls out across the grass. "Hey!"

All heads turn to see Sazh, his son, and Hope walking towards them, hands occupied by trays filled with food, heaped on like the tray that Fang is setting down.

"Mind if we join you guys?" Sazh asks.

"Sazh, my man!" Snow exclaims. "It's been forever! How've you been? Dajh!" He catches sight of the kid and lifts him up by his armpits. "Did you get taller again?" The boy gives a delighted laugh as Snow raises him up onto his shoulders. Despite his seemingly intentional buffoonery, Snow seems to have a knack for entertaining children.

The ice successfully broken, the group begins to shift around, making space for all the members to sit down. Vanille seats herself firmly between Snow and Serah, while Hope struggles to squeeze in on the other side of Snow, craning his neck to try to catch Vanille's eye. Fang smirks as she observes all this until she realizes the only remaining spot is a decidedly small spot between Sazh and…the general.

Seating herself stiffly next to the pink haired woman, she struggles not to shiver as their arms brush against each other, not daring to make eye contact as sparks fly across her skin. A flush spreads across her cheeks, and she quickly downs a mug of beer to hide it. The general gives her a disapproving look.

"Don't overdo it," she warns.

"Yeah," giggles Vanille, who is already on her third mug. "Or – _hic_ – you might throw up on her shoes again."

"Again?" Lebreau laughs, eyes disbelieving. "You have _got_ to tell us this story."

As Vanille launches into an exaggerated version of the tale, self-interrupted by hiccups and fits of laughter, Fang feels herself relaxing, despite her embarrassment. It feels almost like home. Just a tiny bit. The food and alcohol make her a little drowsy, and she leans into the general just a little bit more than is probably necessary, but it just feels so _right_, and Farron isn't making any comment, so she doesn't pull back.

"Farron," she hears herself mumble. The rest are engaged in lively conversation, paying no attention to them.

"Hm?" The general's response sends a pleasant vibration through Fang's head, which is leaning on Farron's shoulder.

"What's your first name?" she asks, lifting her head up. "Y'know, so I can call you siblings separately. Less confusing and all."

The woman's eyes study her quietly, and for a second, Fang thinks she's going to brush the question off, but then she looks away and says, "Lightning. My name is Lightning."

"Lightning," Fang whispers to herself, liking the sound of it coming off her own tongue. _How fitting._

"_Lightning_," another voice calls, and Fang likes the sound of it considerably less. The woman from this morning is standing over the group, green eyes cold and intimidating.

"Lady Nabaat." Lightning dips her head. "Can I help you?"

"A word, please," the woman says, glaring at Fang. "_Privately_."

The pink haired woman sighs and stands up. "I'll be right back," she tells the group. She gives Serah a look that Fang can't decipher and turns to walk off.

Fang shakes off her anger at the interruption and turns to rejoin the conversation. She doesn't want to think about the fact that in Cocoon's world of stiff formality, the Duchess of Calio had called out Lightning's first name without a title attached.

* * *

Lightning keeps a cautious distance between herself and the duchess. She's no stranger to Jihl's sudden bursts of temper – this morning's events can testify to that, and she'd really rather not be on the receiving end of another one of them right now.

"Jihl," she says as gently as she can. "Calling me by my first name in front of all those people –"

"Please," Jihl interrupts. "You let all of them call you by your first name, it's not exactly news to them."

"Yes, but your reasons for using my first name will be," Lightning replies, glancing furtively around. She had given Serah her best "_stay-put-and-don't-throw-any-more-pots_" look before she left, but the girl listens to her about as much as Lightning had listened to their mother when she was around.

Jihl runs her hand through her hair. "Listen, Light, I'm sorry about this morning, but you know how these things are. Dysley has us stretched thin managing the empire. We don't have the resources to spare for your Guardian Corps."

"The Guardian Corps is designed to help with that very purpose," Lightning says, narrowing her eyes. "Or did none of your secretaries bother to read through Amodar's proposal?"

"I read through it personally," hisses Jihl. "Just who do you think I am? You know I –"

"Listen," Lightning cuts her off, sighing. "I'm not going to argue about this right now, okay? If that's all you wanted, I'll just head back –"

"Light, wait," Jihl grabs her wrist and she stiffens. Noticing the sudden coldness in Lightning's eyes, Jihl releases her and holds her hands up in a peacemaking gesture. "I just – the way things ended between us –"

"You made your decision," Lightning replies as steadily as she can, not wanting to let any weakness show.

"It's –" Jihl shifts uncomfortably. "It's been…different without you. I've had these past several months to…think. About what I want. About what you wanted. And maybe…maybe if you still wanted that, I could…" she trails off, running a hand through her hair again, then rubbing the back of her neck, looking anywhere but Lightning's eyes.

"Jihl," Lightning says softly. "I'd be lying if I said there were no feelings left from…before. But as for if those feelings are still the same after all this time…" she shrugs. "You've taken your time, Jihl. Things have changed for both of us. Maybe if we gave it another shot, it would work. But I can't take the pain again if it doesn't, Jihl. I can't run on a 'maybe'. If you want to try again, you have to convince me that it would be worth it."

"I can," Jihl says. "I will. I swear."

Lightning just shakes her head and sighs again, not wanting to let herself hope. "We'll see. Good night, Jihl," she says, turning to return to her group.

"Light." She glances back over her shoulder at Jihl, who has a gentle smile on her face, the one that Lightning fell for way back when. "I promise."

* * *

_A/N LOVE TRIANGLES. LOVE TRIANGLES EVERYWHERE. I love drama haha. As for who ends up with whom, I'm still a bit undecided. Lemme know in your reviews what you'd like to see. Also, don't be upset that I kinda made a fool of Snow in this one. I love the guy, and he'll get his moments too. _

_Again, I'm sorry for the slow updates. Schoolwork has been piling up, and I'm in a bit of a writer's block, so I hope you'll be patient with me. I do have some ideas for this story, just having some trouble with how I'm going to get everything on paper._


	5. Meaning

**Chapter 5: Meaning**

Lightning groans and rubs her eyes, struggling to keep them open. She definitely didn't spend all of last night tossing and turning over Jihl's uncharacteristic display of emotion (at least, emotion that isn't anger) last night.

"Are you okay?" The Pulsian standing next to her gives her a concerned look.

And she _definitely _didn't stay up thinking about the moment when Fang fell asleep in her lap. Or when she carried the woman on her back for the second time. Or when the Pulsian had latched her arms around Lightning's waist and tugged her backwards onto the bed. Or the sound of the woman's voice when she whispered her name for the second time that night. She blushes and looks back at the paper she had been struggling to read before she had gotten lost in her thoughts.

"Just dandy," she mutters. "And you? No hangover?"

"Serah got me some medicine this morning. I'm good to go." The woman grins and gives her a thumbs-up. "Still don't remember much from last night, though," she adds, frowning. "Did I do anything stupid?"

"…No."

The two sit in awkward silence as Lightning shuffles through more papers, trying desperately to think of anything but last night.

Fang clears her throat. "Um, Lightning?"

"Y-yes?" Lightning says, and curses herself for stuttering. _What the hell is wrong with me today?_

"If you don't mind my asking…what did you and…Lady Nabaat talk about last night?"

Lightning freezes in the middle of writing and turns to stare at Fang. She opens her mouth to spit out a half-truth, a cover-up story, but she stops herself before she can. Closing her mouth, she looks at the paper she's filling out. She's spelled her own name wrong on it, and she sighs. _Maybe it'll help if I get this off my chest._ After yesterday's spar, she feels like she can trust Fang a little bit, and this isn't something she wants to tell Serah about. Not yet, at least.

"What I tell you now," she says in a low voice, "doesn't ever leave this room. Can you promise me that?"

Fang nods her head and leans a little closer. "A Yun never breaks a promise," she says, green eyes serious and a little apprehensive.

Lightning blows out a sigh. _Where to start…_

"Jihl and I…we have some…history, so to speak," she catches Fang's eye and can tell immediately that she understands the implication. "We broke it off…multiple times, actually. Every time Jihl came back and told me…told me it was different. That it would be real this time around. But her dedication to the primarch would always get in the way. We would have a fight about something simple, and it would just spiral out of control. I would tell her every time that it was over for the last time, and then she would be back with sweet words and empty promises and I would fall for it again. And here I am, doing it for the third time." She sighs again and rubs her forehead. "She's like a wave. She comes crashing down only to pull away again, but she keeps coming back."

Fang has remained stoically silent through all of this, and Lightning dares a glance up at the other woman. Her face is stony still and she has a strange look on her face.

"So last night, she came to try to win you back over? With a tone like _that_?"

"Like…" _Oh_. Jihl had been pretty angry when she came by, but it was probably more because of Fang than anything else. "Jihl has a bit of a temper," she shrugs. "She's the jealous type, I guess."

"Jealous? Of what?"

"Of...you."

"Me?" The Pulsian points to herself, looking genuinely confused. "We're not a couple...are we?"

"No!" Lightning feels herself blushing again. "You were kind of...leaning on me. And whispering to me. To Jihl, it probably looked like…"

"Oh. _Oh_. Sorry. When you guys fight, she doesn't…y'know?"

Lightning glares. "Are you suggesting Jihl is _capable_ of physically hurting me?"

Fang laughs a little, and the sound is almost musical. "I guess not. I heard you kicked her ass in a duel."

"That was a long time ago. Before we were ever together."

"So...you two are 'together' now?"

"No! No...she told me, same as always, that she wanted me back, but," Lightning drops her head into her hands, "I don't think I can take it if she does this again."

"Maybe this is outta line, but I don't think she deserves another chance." Fang sets a hand on her back gently, sending goosebumps down Lightning's skin. Her muscles stiffen, and Fang pulls back, seemingly as startled by the contact as Lightning is.

Lightning glances up at her. Fang's eyes are genuinely concerned, which surprises her a little. "If it was that easy, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Maybe you should look for someone else."

She blows out a sigh. "Like I said, if it was that easy..."

"What exactly attracts you to a woman like that anyways?" Fang asks, crinkling her nose. "'Sides the obvious, I mean?"

"The obvious?" Lightning tilts her head and gives Fang a look that is somewhere between amusement and surprise.

Fang looks startled. "I -"

"Do you find women attractive, Fang?" she asks with a light smirk. A part of Lightning is teasing, but another part genuinely wants to know. For...future reference. Not that she'll ever admit that out loud.

The Pulsian blushes ever so slightly and shrugs. "I guess. I mean, as much as anyone else. We're not so uptight about those things back in Oerba. At least, not for the past few decades or so, since we had a chieftain who fancied a bit of both worlds, so to speak. I've heard here in Eden, people ain't big fans of that type."

Lightning blows out a sigh. "Well, it's no longer a crime, at least. But if someone were to know about Jihl and I, both our houses would probably never hold positions of power again. It's another reason I'm don't want to dive back into a relationship with her. Before Amodar left, I wouldn't have cared, but now…" she flips through the papers on her desk. "I have a legacy to uphold, I suppose. That's why," she catches Fang's eyes, "nothing I've said today is ever leaving this room."

"You're awfully trusting considering we've known each other for, what, two days?" Fang has an eyebrow cocked, but looks extremely pleased with this fact.

"Well, even if you were to tell anyone, I highly doubt they'd take the word of a Pulsian who's been here for less than a week." _Plus, I don't know why, but I feel like you're someone I can trust_. "Jihl and I are notorious for being rivals in a perpetual cycle of hate."

Fang's confident grins fades a tiny bit, but she just snorts and responds, "You underestimate the power of rumor spreading."

"Perhaps." Propping her chin up on her knuckles, Lightning returns her attention to the papers on her desk, barely fighting back a smile at their easy banter.

"For the record," Fang adds after a moment of silence, "I won't tell a soul. I swear on my clan."

This time, Lightning can't hold back the quiet smile that tugs at her lips.

* * *

The days pass quietly, much more quietly than Fang is used to. After the Festival ends, the previously bustling castle seems almost abandoned by comparison. She spends her time sitting in companionable silence next to the General, who has become less talkative since making her confessions about Jihl. While Fang knows better than to butt her head into something that doesn't concern her, it doesn't stop her from wanting to punch in Lady Nabaat's face every time she sees it.

It's this time that Fang takes to start noticing things about Lightning. Little things, unimportant ones. Like the way she almost imperceptibly sighs whenever a new heap of paperwork is deposited unceremoniously on her desk, or the way she taps her chin lightly when deep in thought. There's the way her nose crinkles up before she sneezes, and the adorable sound she makes when she does. The soft smiles she shows when Serah leaves a little pastry on her desk, and the icy glares she gives when she means business.

Before she even realizes it, Fang is smitten.

Despite everything, all the hatred she holds for Cocoon and its actions, she can't help herself when it comes to Lightning.

She tries to deny it, of course. After all, there's no way in hell that she'll forgive Cocoon, and Lightning, no matter how she wishes it weren't true, is a Cocoonian general. That means that she had been involved, in some way or another, with the invasion of Gran Pulse, and that isn't something Fang is comfortable accepting, and so she dismisses her feelings as a passing attraction. After all, there is little about the General that isn't attractive. Even her cold sharpness draws Fang in, not to mention the unexpected trust that Lightning placed in her.

But so what if there's a little spark whenever their eyes meet? So what if the pink-haired woman slips in and out of Fang's dreams fleetingly, leaving Fang wanting more? So what if her heart seems to beat a little faster than normal when Lightning is around?

It doesn't mean anything.

* * *

_It can't mean anything._

Fang grips the letter in her hands a little tighter, reading it and re-reading it, as the thin parchment crumples in her fingers.

_It can't..._

* * *

**A/N** Bet you weren't expecting an update. Truth be told, neither was I. And I know it's short, but I'm just trying to get back into writing again, since I took such a long break. Hopefully updates will start coming faster eventually. In the meantime, please bear with me and my stupid cliffhangers. (I won't say too much, but the letter is probably what you think it is.)


	6. A Decision

_A/N What, an update? Since when do those happen with this story? If it's any consolation for those who have been waiting, this new chapter is about 3200 words, so...there's that. Maybe I'll update again. Who knows, really._

**Chapter 6: A Decision**

Vanille has spent the better part of her life watching Fang agonize over the decisions she's had to make, so it doesn't come as much of a surprise to her when she wakes up to pee in the middle of the night and finds her older sister brooding on the windowsill, an intense stare directed at the cold, glittering stars.

The crumpled paper at Fang's feet is a pretty good indication of what's upsetting her, along with the accompanying sheet with the message painstakingly decoded beside it. Vanille is vaguely aware of the contents of the letter - she's been on the receiving end of them for a few weeks or so. But seeing her sister seemingly enjoying herself for the first time in what feels like years, she has them tucked away quietly in a bedside drawer. Vanille loves peace, see, so the clan leaders probably aren't surprised by her lack of replies or action. She's honestly surprised they waited this long to send one the Fang. They know, obviously, that Fang is under much higher security than Vanille, but then again, they've never been all that much for caution or foresight.

Fang, in contrast to Vanille, lives for the rush of battle. The burn of muscles, the whirl-then-thrust of her spear, the scent of smoke and blood and steel. Those sensations are what have come to constitute the woman Vanille calls her sister. And Vanille is proud of her, of the name Fang has made for herself, of the honor that she has brought to Oerba and the smoldering courage that burns in her. That is Fang, the most feared warrior on Gran Pulse. Carrying the banner of Oerba into a war that was all but lost, without a hint of hesitation or fear in her eyes, and tearing Cocoon troops down.

But assassination? Vanille can't imagine her sister ending a life in anything but a glorious battle. Fang doesn't sneak and hide, it's not in her nature. And even more so, she seems to trust the woman who Vanille assumes is the target of the letter.

And yet, Fang is a fiercely loyal warrior, to her family and home alike. Vanille knows well that Fang was not satisfied with the way the war ended. She knows that the clans are stirring, even though it hasn't even been a year since the war ended. She knows that she and Fang are in the perfect position to strike, to bring down Cocoon from within. And she knows that Fang knows as well. Vanille's not ready for another war, not ready for broken bones and broken souls, broken weapons and broken hearts. War damn near broke her the first time, and Fang was the only thing that brought her this far. If there is another war, she is certain she'll lose Fang for good this time, and no war is worth Fang's life.

In the shadows of a darkened hall, the need to pee forgotten, Vanille's hands begin to shake.

* * *

"You have to tell them no," Vanille says, her voice urgent and wavering.

Fang doesn't look at her, eyes trained on the paper, as if it might burn up and drift away if she glares hard enough. The moon, bright and accusing, shines through the window, leaving harsh shadows across half of her face.

"I have a duty to Oerba."

"If you tell them no, they will wait," she says. "We finally have peace, Fang. I finally can live without worrying that you'll come back to me injured, or crippled, or _dead_. And we've only had it for a few _months_, Fang. _Months._ We're free to live as we please, to find something other than pain and bloodshed -"

"Free to live as their dogs," Fang spits. "Free to lick their feet and beg for a treat. We're not _people_ to them, 'Nille."

"What about General Farron? Doesn't she treat you like a person?" There's a note of desperation in Vanille's voice, but Fang freezes at the name anyway.

"She's one person." Fang's voice is a little less sure this time. _Fuck, fuck, fucking fuck. Why bring _her_ up?_

"And there's Serah, and Hope, and Sazh, and Lebreau, and...and, heck, even Snow! What about them?"

"What _about_ them?" Fang snaps.

"They're our friends, aren't they? Didn't you swear you would never betray a friend?" Vanille's eyes are wide and watery, which is normally dangerous territory for Fang, who has always had a weak spot for Vanille's puppy eyes. But this is something she can't let herself be talked out of - Oerba is a part of who she is. And are those people really her friends after all? A viper is a viper, even in the unassumingly friendly skins of the people she has come to know. If they knew about this letter, they would surely turn their backs in an instant, regardless of what choice she makes. And could she really blame them if they did?

"I have a duty to - " she tries to repeat stubbornly.

"You have a duty to _me_!" Vanille cries, cutting her off. "I love you, Fang, and I love Oerba, but I can't _live_ like that again. I can't live waiting for something horrible to happen to you or any of our brothers and sisters. I think we can be happy here, Fang. I _am _happy here, even if I'm a little homesick. And I think you want to be happy as well."

Fang blinks, staring at her sister, the girl who had quietly endured, mending the broken warriors that returned home from war with endless patience, the girl she had been certain would stand by her no matter what. Has she asked too much of her?

"'Nille. Right now, if I told you to choose between staying here and coming back to Oerba with me, what would you choose?" Fang stares at the redhead, heart in her throat.

"I would choose you every time, no matter what, Fang." There's no hesitation in Vanille's voice, and Fang nearly sighs in relief before she continues, "But if you forced me to make that decision, I would never forgive you." Vanille's eyes are deadly serious, and there's a ferocity behind them that Fang hasn't seen in a long time.

Blood is pounding in Fang's ears, her mind racing. "They won't wait. We'll be branded traitors." _There's no way out of this. There's no choice here._

"Tell them that we need more time, that Cocoon is still watching us too closely."

"They won't buy that! I'm acting as a bodyguard for one of their _generals_, for Etro's sake!"

"Tell them to find a diplomatic solution, then. Tell them we want _peace_."

"_They_ don't! They -"

"Do _you_, Fang?"

"Do I what?"

"Do you want peace?"

"I -" The words die in Fang's throat. _What do I want?_

"Oerba followed you till the very end, Fang. If you want peace, if you really want it, they'll give it to you, and you know it."

"I'm not their leader, Vanille. I led them into battle, but that's as far as I ever took our people. And even if they did think of me as their leader, the rest of the clans sure as hell didn't."

Vanille looks like she's about to cry, or scream, and Fang isn't sure which would be worse. She knows that it's her pride that won't let her agree with Vanille, but at the same time, she can't help it. Her heart still thumps to the beat of the war drums, the sparks of weapons clashing still dance in her eyes. She wants a peaceful world, sure, but this...this is not peace. This is _submission_, this is _shame_, and she won't stand for it. Not with the "Oerba" attached to her name. Her fists curl, nails digging crescents into her palms, head swimming feverishly. _A decision must be made_. The voice in her head sounds suspiciously like the General's, as if the pink-haired woman is daring her to do it.

"I have to do this, 'Nille." A moth, white wings glowing in the pale moonlight, drifts in through the open window, between the sisters.

Vanille is shaking her head, tears spilling freely from green eyes. "I can't help you, Fang. I can't help you take someone's life." The moth flits quietly around her, landing, just for a moment, on her shoulder.

"I'm not asking you to do anything," Fang whispers, reaching for Vanille's hands, grasping them gently in her own. "Just...be ready to leave when it's time, okay?"

The white moth flutters back out the window aimlessly, not knowing, not caring of Vanille's pain, or of Fang's desperation. The sisters stand together in the dark room, trembling fingers entwined, silent tears flowing without words. Fang can only pray she'll one day be forgiven.

Somewhere below the windowsill, in the darkness of the shadows, a silhouetted figure slips away into the night, back towards the castle.

* * *

Biting her lip, Jihl dismisses the messenger with a wave of her hand. He bows his head and leaves the room silently.

She just manages not to let out a soft, humorless bark of laughter. After all this time, her investigative work has paid off, despite the fact that she never really wanted it to in the first place. Well, to be fair, removing Oerba Yun Fang from the picture is not entirely unappealing to Jihl, but the implications of what her spy heard may well lead Cocoon straight back into war.

She shakes her head to free it of unnecessary thoughts, eyes roaming over the report the spy had left her. If it's an assassination, the one at highest risk right now is..._Lightning._ _Of fucking course it's Lightning, what else was I expecting? Why in Etro's name does everything come back to her?_

Rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palms, Jihl grimaces. _She's not going to appreciate this._

* * *

"I don't believe you."

Lightning's cold blue eyes are narrowed unforgivingly. The two are facing each other in Jihl's office, a room that suddenly feels a lot smaller than it used to be, with Lightning's presence. A candle flickers on the corner of Jihl's desk, a mere stub after having burned since the early hours of the morning as Jihl pored over the report, trying to glean as much information as she could. A report which, unfortunately, seems of no value to Lightning, who only gave it a disdainful sniff after reading it.

Jihl sighs in response, having somewhat expected Lightning's reaction. "You don't have to, but it would really make my life easier if you did."

"I see no evidence aside from hearsay to make any of these accusations," Lightning says, sifting through the report again. "Unless you can get me that, I see no reason to believe you." She moves as if to stand, and without thinking, Jihl shoots out a hand to pull her back. Lightning jerks her hand away, and Jihl can't help the little sting of pain that settles in her chest.

"Do you trust that woman over _me_? After everything, you would do that?" She hates how whiny her voice sounds, but she can't help it. Even if their relationship is rocky at best, they are still both Cocoonian. To trust a Pulsian above her feels like a much harsher rejection than being pushed away like this.

"_That woman_ has never given me a reason to distrust her -"

"She's Pulsian," Jihl bites back. "That's reason enough. Not to mention her intense nationalism and her high ranking in Oerba. I dare you to find anyone less motivated to betray us."

"It's exactly that type of short-sighted ignorance that gets us into wars! If we can't change that, we'll never live in peace."

"Have you forgotten what Pulse did to your parents?"

The room temperature drops, and Jihl knows, through the sinking feeling in her stomach, that she has misstepped. But she maintains her composure. She _knows_ she is right. If she has to throw a few low blows to get Lightning to see reason, then so be it. Raising her chin, she meets the sharp blue of Lightning's.

Before she can move, Lightning is towering over her, eyes flashing in fury, mouth twisted into a snarl. Grabbing Jihl's collar, she yanks her out of the chair and over the table, holding her level with her eyes. Jihl allows herself to go limp, not wanting to provoke Lightning any further. Getting stabbed is not part of the plan.

"Do _not _think," Lightning hisses, "for even a _second_ that I have forgotten my parents or what happened to them. Everything I _do_ is for their memory."

Jihl narrows her eyes at the hypocrisy. "Even vouching for Oerba Yun Fang?" The grip on her collar tightens, but Jihl forgets momentarily that she shouldn't be provoking Lightning in their current position. "You would call in a favor from the Primarch himself to save the life of the woman who led the warriors that _murdered_ your parents? She would have faced _justice_ at the end of the war, had you not stepped in. For the people she has taken from _both of us_. Instead, thanks to your _kindness_, she gets an easy pass, and for what? For her to kill you in cold blood? You have given her more chances than she ever deserved and she _still_ only knows war. Accept it, Lightning, there is no changing Pulse."

Jihl thunks awkwardly back into her chair as Lightning releases her collar and sits back in her own seat.

"Easy pass?" Lightning laughs mirthlessly, a hollow, uncomfortable sound. "_Dying_ is easy, Jihl. _Living_ is the hard part. Death is not justice, nor does it bring back those already gone. And don't forget, it was the former Duke of Calio that pressured my parents into fighting the war." At this, Jihl shrank back, unable to deny her father's actions. "Now," Lightning says, rubbing at her eyes, "if you're done with this petty little story -"

"_Petty_?" It's Jihl's turn to get angry, slamming her palms on the desk. The flame on the candle flickers and sways. "Do you honestly think I would make accusations like this because I was _jealous_ of her? Do you not think I understand the weight of these accusations? I know better than anyone the implications of what I'm saying, and I'm telling you because I think it's a genuine concern! And you're going to blow it off as some _delusion_ that a jealous former lover cooked up?"

Lightning's eyes soften, just a little bit. "Listen, Jihl, either way, your story doesn't have enough evidence to justify an execution or even a prison sentence. We can't risk Oerba thinking we've set Yun Fang up, or they'd riot. If you can gather more solid evidence, then we can talk again."

"So we just wait for them to strike first, then?" Jihl mutters bitterly, having calmed her temper a bit. "You'll be the sacrificial pawn in this stupid game?"

"I'll be vigilant," Lightning promises with a sigh. "As I have been this whole time. But I really don't think that we have anything to worry about." She gets up to leave.

"Light," Jihl calls after her softly, and Lightning pauses at the change in tone. "Do be careful, okay? If not for my sake, then for Cocoon's. I want war even less than you do. If you die..."

Lightning doesn't turn around, but there's a little bit of a smile in her voice when she calls back, "I'll try my best."

* * *

Rosch sets the report back down on her desk. "Seems like we've got a serious problem, then."

Jihl nods tiredly, emotionally drained from her conversation with Lightning. "Take that report to Primarch Dysley." Surely he will understand the threat Oerba Yun Fang poses to Cocoon. If the Primarch were to make a move, Lightning wouldn't have much choice in the matter.

"On it," Rosch replies as he turns to leave. Her spy slips in silently, unnoticed, through the door as he exits.

"You summoned me?" Beady, unsettling eyes meet hers from behind the spy's mask. She nods.

"Bring me Sazh Katzroy." The spy bows his head and darts from the room.

Jihl takes the moment's reprieve to open her window and allow cold air to blow in. The sky is unexpectedly clear for a brisk autumn morning in a city nearing winter. She finds herself praying for snow, for something to come and cover the muddy tracks of the past. The neglected candle on her desk has burnt out, leaving a small black wick in melted red wax, smoke curling upwards from the mess. _Living, indeed, does seem harder than dying at this point._

She knows, of course, that the origin of Lightning's distrust runs deeper than their broken excuse of a relationship. The power struggle between their families is generations old. In their youth, the two had pledged to end the conflict, to the begrudging approval of their parents, but it would seem that their fight was in their blood. Not even their more..._intimate_ moments could curb the animosity that stirred up between them, time and time again. But still, she hopes, perhaps naively, that if - no, _when_ she is proven right, it will restore a bit of that lost trust. That maybe Lightning will look at her and _see_ her again.

In the meantime, she supposes she'll have to find a way to keep Oerba Yun Fang at bay.

There is a light knock at the door, breaking Jihl from her thoughts.

"Enter."

An uneasy looking Sazh Katzroy steps lightly into the room, stopping just inside, not daring to walk further. He glances around, shifting his weight between his feet. He and Lightning are good friends, if Jihl remembers correctly, so his discomfort isn't entirely unwarranted, but Jihl still feels slightly offended that people always seem to think she is up to something sinister. Even though she technically is, at this moment.

"Lady Nabaat. I was called for?" He still doesn't meet her eyes.

"Yes," she responds, lips curling into a tight smile. "Oerba Dia Vanille is under your supervision, is she not?"

* * *

_A/N So Jihl is...kind of a bitch? Dunno. Only time will tell, I suppose. I personally find that she's a character that is lacking in depth, and I wanted to change that, I guess. Rather than her just being evil, I mean._

_This story will maybe eventually be completed. For now, I'm taking it chapter by chapter. But please be patient with me ;_;_


End file.
